


Parallel Thoughts (2018)

by HelenTheMoon



Series: Arc-V Anniversary over the years [4]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: Arc V Anniversary, Challenge Response, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Drabble Collection, Extremely delayed challenge response, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:34:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23228680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HelenTheMoon/pseuds/HelenTheMoon
Summary: The ARC-V Anniversary 2018 prompts. You know the drill by now. Please read and review!Character tags updated per chapter.Days posted: 1, 2, 5, 14, 17
Series: Arc-V Anniversary over the years [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1621012
Comments: 4
Kudos: 5





	1. Day 1: Smile

Seeing the smile return on Kurosaki’s face was a wonder to behold.

Crow could not claim that he knew the Xyz duelist well; he was friends with Yuya, was from another dimension – and yes, Crow could now say that with a straight face – was an incredible duelist, had a rough look that even most Commons lacked, and was _extremely_ brutal.

In his last duel, he could practically feel Kurosaki’s rage vibrating under his skin, and while Crow could not follow the conversation that well, the results spoke for themselves.

Crow remembered the first time he smiled after so long. Frank, Amanda and Tanner brought a light to his life that he had not realized he was missing. As the kids were laughing and playing with their food, Crow couldn’t help but start laughing himself, and it struck him like a revelation.

He had forgotten what genuine laughter felt like. He forgot what it was like to smile out of happiness. And the kids made him happy.

At first he thought Kurosaki was a grade-A asshole who was looking down on them, raving about stuff he could not understand and wanted no part in.

But he saved Tanner. He saw Tanner and tried to make Crow stop over and over again and Crow _did not listen_.

The light of his life and Crow did not even notice that he was in mortal danger. Crow felt like shit.

But it also made him reevaluate his opinion on Kurosaki. He was more than just his war and his rage. He too had a past and a family. And his war was for a reason.

Suddenly it hit Crow just how similar their decks were. How similar they _both_ were. Birds of feather. This might as well have been a mirror match.

As Kurosaki took his turn, Crow could see a new light in his eyes that was not rage but _mirth_. His voice got new vigor and his tiny little grin was wild.

For the first time in forever, Kurosaki was dueling for the sake of dueling and it filled him with joy. And Crow smiled just as wildly in return, for once enjoying the clash of skill instead of trying to secure money or food.

Maybe Yuya had a point with his Entertainment Dueling shtick. How long had it been since they both last had fun playing this game?

Too long. For both of them.

Even when he lost, Kurosaki kept smiling. Crow was not worried about him. He made it out of a battlefield, he’d make it out of the pit too.

So he smiled too, knowing that they both rediscovered something precious today.


	2. Day 2: Alternative Universe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by this fic: https://www.wattpad.com/story/85268697-super-heroes-to-villains-a-yugioh-arc-v-fanfic  
> As well as MoonFlowerLilica's now deleted art.
> 
> I put a LOT of work into this. Enjoy!

Every single evening for the last several years, Yuya, Yuzu and Gongenzaka would be chatting together about nothing and everything as they made their way back home, much like any ordinary group of friends do.

“No matter what happens, we are NOT telling my dad about this.”

Yuya nodded in agreement, dead serious. “We’re lucky nobody saw it… Still, are you alright, Yuzu?”

“Y-yeah…”

Normally Yuya would be relieved. He was not.

“Hey, are you two serious about this!?” Gongenzaka looked like he was on the verge of a panic attack. Yuya could not blame him.

“Who would believe us!?” asked Yuzu. “Besides, we’re not sure what happened…”

“But still…”

As grateful as Yuya was for his friend’s concern, right now he was not helping matters. He was barely holding it together himself. “Gongenzaka, I just… don’t want to think about it, okay? Just drop it. Please.”

“If you say so…”

They stayed silent for a few moments.

“Are _you_ alright Yuya?”

He nodded. “Just a few scratches. Not even a bruise.” It was true. Despite the drop.

“Lucky you… I’m aching all over.”

“What about you, Gongenzaka?”

The large teen shook his head. “ _You_ were the ones in the middle of it. How can you walk it off!?”

Yuzu and Yuya exchanged glances. Their silence spoke volumes. “No idea. But we _are_ a little banged up, so we’ll have to come up with an excuse.” Yuya was used to lying to his mother at this point. “I’m fine” was the easiest little phrase he could say.

Yuzu was thoughtful. “We could say that we were dueling, and you tried to ride Odd-Eyes but forgot you weren’t in an action field…”

“HEY! What’s up with that!?”

“You’ve done it before!”

“When I was eight!”

“Well it’s not _that_ far from the truth!”

Gongenzaka stepped in again. “But Yuya doesn’t have any bruises or anything, so Yoko-san won’t believe it.”

“That’s true…” said Yuya. “Maybe say we were running through tall grass? The park up north hasn’t been maintained in ages…”

“That could work” admitted Yuzu. “But what will we say to my dad?”

“You slipped and took a nasty tumble?”

“Sounds good.”

Gongenzaka shook his head. “I still think we should sit down and try to figure this out.”

“How!?”

“Well, it obviously has something to do with your Dragon and your bracelet.”

Earlier that day, seeing that they had a free day from school Yuzu, Yuya and Gongenzaka decided to go exploring an abandoned building. Normally they were not the kind of people who did that sort of thing, but…

There was a rumour around at school, that this old building was once used for testing the prototype Real Solid Vision system and Action Fields. They said that the old equipment was probably still there, just non-functional, as it was too bulky to remove and there was no point in reusing it anyway.

It was stupid. Perhaps it was stupid but Yuya would cling into any hope he could find.

The slightest hint about his dad.

Yuya’s dad was one of the two pioneers of Action Duels. Yuya did not know the details. When he was a kid he just did not care about that sort of thing – he was just proud of his dad. Now that he was older, whenever he tried to ask his mother – as rare as that was – she would clam up. There was one time when she said that his dad had a falling out with the scientist behind it, but other than that Yuya knew nothing.

Nobody really talked about the past in their house.

So he did not tell her. Instead he pleaded Yuzu and Gongenzaka to come along with him.

At first they tried to stop him, like any sane person would. Entering abandoned buildings was dangerous in general, especially when they were privately owned by LDS as Yuzu found out and had dangerous equipment stored in them. Besides, as both Yuzu _and_ Gongenzaka pointed out, there was absolutely no telling that there would be any hints about his dad in there. If anything, the possibility was really low.

Yuya knew that there was no point in insisting but…

He had to go. No matter what, he had to go.

And so his friends shrugged helplessly and tagged along with him.

Now they were all regretting that.

Getting in there was surprisingly hard. There were no guards or anything, but the fence was high and all the doors were locked, as if LDS had considered the possibility of someone sneaking in. However, they were not duelists for nothing, so between their agility and Gongenzaka’s strength, they broke in with no problems.

The equipment was all there. But there were those strange machines at the corner that they had no idea what they were, and they started pocking…

Yuzu tried turning on the computers The strange machines activated for a moment and something short-circuited and there was _lightning_ coming from the machines and they could make out _something…_

And Yuya’s Odd-Eyes appeared like a ghost roaring and everything went to hell.

Yuya had only the vaguest recollection of what happened after that. His precious Odd-Eyes was standing above him despite there _not being a duel disk_ and there was a lot of yelling and a pink flash that overtook everything and Yuya could have sworn he heard something talking to him…

When he came to, Yuzu and Gongenazka told him that he ordered them to climb on the dragon and get out of there. And they did. Odd-Eyes lashed out with his tail and smashed the machines, and the blast blew Yuzu off the window and to the ground outside, three floors below.

Odd-Eyes followed with Yuya and Gongenzaka on its back and…

Here they were. Walking back home at a loss of what to do.

“Do you think you could… bring out Odd-Eyes again?”

Yuya nodded at Yuzu’s question without even thinking about it. He could hear Odd-Eyes’ voice in his head, the card itching through his deck case, alive.

“Maybe we can use that…”

“Huh?” Both boys stared at their friend curiously.

“At first I thought it was just a malfunction in the Real Solid Vision, but then why would me bracelet shine? And those weird images… If Uncle Yusho and LDS were involved in it, then they would probably have the answers!”

Gongenzaka slowly started putting the pieces together. “Are you saying that we should start investigating LDS?”

Yuzu nodded resolutely. “If we want answers, then there is no other way!”

“We’ll need disguises.”

They both stared at Yuya, ready to berate him but something made them pause. He was always the type to go for ridiculous costumes, but this time? He was serious.

“If anything like this happens again, LDS will start looking for us. We can’t afford to let them find out who we are! You Show Duel School could get in trouble! Besides…”

He pulled out Odd-Eyes from his deck and focused. The card briefly pulsed with red light.

“I can use this now. We have the power, and we’ll make the costumes, so…”

“You’re saying we should be superheroes!?”

“Why not?”

“Yuya, Gongenzaka is a normal person!”

“He’s super strong! He’ll be fine!”

“And it’s reckless!”

“Now now…”

“I, the man Gongenzaka, approve of this decision! I will back Yuya no matter what!”

Yuzu sighed. “I guess it’s settled then. But what will be our names?”

“We’ll think about that! Let’s come up with something good, okay? I want a cool theme.”

* * *

“Midnight Phantom here. Report.”

_“Dawn Valkyrie here. I’m in the middle of the mall, third level. I’m ready.”_

_“High-noon Cowboy and Daylight Pixie here! Fifth level! We’re at the perfect spot!”_

_“Dusk Phoenix here. Roof. Ready.”_

The masked teen known as Midnight Phantom nodded to himself as the messages came through his heavily modified Duel Disk. He responded back. “Top level. Everything set.” Once again, he readjusted his sniper rifle.

The mission was simple in title, but even in the first preparation stages, everyone knew the execution was going to be everything but simple. “Hunt the Numbers Hunter”. Much easier said than done.

The Resistance, in spite of two of their members having supernatural powers and all of them having access to highly advanced technology, were still a small group of civilians, and thus had limitations on what they could actually do. They had dealt with high-profile incidents in the past – the bombing that led to Phoenix joining came to mind – but usually they had to deal with things such as robberies, car chases or the occasional odd duelist with all the wrong vibes. While it could be argued that their new case was the last category, the newly arisen “Numbers hunt” was turning out to be an entirely different headache.

The lack of information did not help either. They only reason they even _knew_ of the Numbers was because their monitors detected highly irregular readings of Xyz summoning energy, accompanied by brief spatial distortions. In most occasions, those incidents would be followed by the locals finding people in a vegetable-like state in the area mumbling about Numbers. Crime had also increased recently, and it had taken much cross-referencing to connect the two.

Gathering all that info was far from easy. They had to rely on Valkyrie’s power to spot the distortions, and that was far from an exact science. Add in real life getting in the way, and the very obvious attempts to cover up the whole thing… Valkyrie and Cowboy had worked overtime for this.

However, they succeeded and all their research had three definite results. All evidence suggested that a) the Numbers were too dangerous and had way too much potential to be left unmonitored, b) the coma incidents were all caused by the same person and c) someone with a lot of power in Heartland was directly involved in this.

There was only one way to get answers. The Resistance had to capture the Hunter.

The first part of their plan was easy in theory but tricky in its execution. They had to spot a high-profile Numbers user and monitor their activities. Then they had to wait for the Hunter to appear.

Their search for a Numbers user led them to a cheap burglar with a short temper; his Number was No. 56: Gold Rat. Today, he was going to attack the mall. And so did the Hunter.

_Mission… Start!_

The thief came in with a bang. His worn face was twisted in rage and he was armed with a long metal pole. _No matter_ , thought the Phantom. _I have him in scope_. The purple digits of his number glowed dimly on his shoulder. Without hesitation, he knocked the public service bot, aka the trash robot, all the way down to the ground floor. “That thing’s annoying!” he shouted for the whole world to hear. He then turned to the civilians. “You punks are all my hostages now, you hear me!? Nobody makes a move or I’ll fucking kill you!”

 _“Looks like the Number boosts their arrogance…”_ said Phoenix over the comms. Nobody answered.

_Step One; High-noon Cowboy and Daylight Pixie are to provide a distraction._

As they had planned, the two tag duelists made themselves known.

Cowboy and Pixie were the perfect distraction – a duo of entertainment duelists. Pixie was wearing a costume much like her nickname, with a tutu and a butterfly domino mask that covered most of her face, all in hues of pink and light green. Cowboy was dressed in a bright red poncho with intricate designs, a cowboy hat and a mask straight out of Zorro. And more importantly, they showed up by performing a stunt on a set of wheelies.

The burglar just blinked at them stunned. So did the crowd.

“Mister criminal man! I, High-noon Cowboy-!”

“And I, Daylight Pixie-!”

“Challenge you to a DUEL!”

The criminal blinked in surprise. “What’s up with you brats?” It was obvious by their reactions that their audience was thinking the exact same thing.

“Will you duel us or not!?”

The mall’s security guards got over their shock and decided to interfere. “What are you kids doing!? Get back here, he’s dangerous!”

“Please stay back!” pleaded Daylight Pixie. “Keep the people here safe!”

_Hurry… I can feel him…_

The thief laughed. “Interesting! While I’m waiting for my cash and my helicopter, I’ll pass the time by making you suffer!”

Cowboy gave a fist bump. “Great! BUT! This duel will have an extra challenge for you!”

“Oh, yeah? And what is it?”

Pixie held her disk up resolutely. “We won’t use AR Vision in this duel. We’ll use Real Solid Vision.”

The thief’s expression changed instantly. “Real Solid Vision…? Wait a sec…”

He could see it. From his vantage point the Phantom could see the slow realization dawning in the faces of both the civilians and the security alike. And of course, the thief.

“No-no way.”

“Aren’t those…?”

“They’re so young!”

“Maybe they’re fans?”

“Didn’t they blow up a recycling center once? That makes them criminals too!” The Phantom scowled. The recycling center was only a cover for what was _really_ happening in there.

Now the thief was sweating. Most people, himself included, had never seen Real Solid Vision in action, but everyone knew what it could do.

The thief burst into laughter. “Fine then. I’ll take you on…” He reached for his deck case, and the Phantom could feel the aura of wrongness oozing from this thing. “…with this card!”

_“Phantom, it’s Phoenix, he’s here!”_

_CRASH-_

And time _froze._

For a few moments, the Phantom just stood there in shock, as the shards of glass were suspended in mid air, Pixie and Cowboy’s duel disks in the middle of manifesting their blades.

The only sound was breathing and for a moment the Phantom was overwhelmed with emptiness.

“Wh-what the hell is this!?” Somehow, the thief was still moving. But so was the Phantom. So he stayed on his post, not making a sound, just readying his sniper rifle and taking aim right where the thief was flailing.

An eerie whistle echoed through the floor. And it was not the thief. _He’s here._

Little did the Phantom and the hunter knew that this would be the day they would gain a new ally.

* * *

“No. I’m not getting back to it. I have kids to take care of, Jack. I can’t start running after criminals again!”

Infuriating as ever, the blond man known as Jack Atlas did not answer and kept staring at his former comrade.

Crow Hogan rubbed his temples “Listen Jack. Back then we had no responsibilities. We _made_ our responsibilities. The thing is, we’re no longer sixteen. We’re adults, _you’re the King_ , and if anyone finds out that we were part of the vigilante group that crushed most gangs in the Commons area, prison will be the LEAST of our problems.”

It was now that Jack spoke. “Then what about the duo that’s taken up our old mantle? They’re youngsters as well, and reckless with their power. Do they not need our guidance!?”

Crow grimaced. The new superhero group known as the “Winds of Change” were just a boy and girl duo who called themselves Wind Rider and White Witch respectively. They were barely older than fourteen years old, and they decided to fight against the Public Security Bureau.

The footage of their fights was impressive. _Very_ impressive.

The first time Crow saw them on TV, Rider leaped out of his D-Wheel and handed the reins to the Witch who was riding shotgun, somehow landing on the roof of the security truck despite the incredible distance, manifesting bladed tonfas of blue light out of nowhere, and _tore_ into the car, while the Witch sped up ahead and coated the entire street with ice.

In under thirty seconds, they had released the prisoners – innocent Commons who were taken in by Security for the kicks. The next moment the Witch manifested an _iceberg_ and stopped the truck right there and then. She dragged the drivers out their seats and did _something_ that involved a green flash – Crow thought it was a bracelet, but the image was not clear enough. Whatever she did, they collapsed and did not move. Then the Rider round up all the prisoners, brought out a card… And with another green flash they _vanished_.

That was when the Security’s backup showed up. It was pretty much a small army of Duel Chasers. Wind Rider instantly brought out the card again and this time it manifested into a glorious dragon. He hadn’t seen a dragon like that since… since _that guy._

The dragon was almost transparent but as the wind rose into a gale, nobody could mistake it for powerless. The gale blew most of the security away, one or two of them falling of the bridge even – who knows if they survived. Before the Duel Chasers even realized what was happening, the two teens were driving away on their shared D-Wheel.

Eventually a small number of them – five of them, but still far less than the initial number – managed to catch up with them and force them into a duel…

And they lost. The two youngsters were excellent duelists, having taken each lesson this harsh world had to teach them at heart. Wind Rider was passionate and hot blooded, having fun even in this situation, with an incredible knack for lucky draws and a surprisingly strategic mind. White Witch was cold and relentless, vicious in her every move, grabbing each and every opportunity that appeared before her without the slightest hint of mercy, not giving a single inch.

Together, the two stayed three steps ahead of all their enemies and crushed them without breaking a sweat. As Crow suspected, they were both running WIND decks that messed together wonderfully, and they built strategies and counters with an instinctive ease that made short work of their enemies – they might as well have been reading each other’s minds, and their opponents’ while at it.

And finally the two jumped over the Security’s blockade and that was that. Vanished into thin air.

“They’ll be fine. We all saw their debut. Besides, can’t they get help from those Allies of Justice guys?”

Jack scowled – well, more than his usual default expression. “You think a bunch of retired cops with a stolen van can help them? Don’t you find anything odd with the whole situation?”

“Huh?” Normally Crow would have told him off, but Jack had never been the type to make mysterious and vague statements.

“Even as powerful as those two are, it’s odd how the Security sent so many units after them so quickly. They even went as far as to pull Security from the Tops.”

Crow was stunned. The only occasions he could recall such a thing happening was first when Enjoy Chojiro was arrested, and second was the incident that caused their old team to break up. Pulling Security from the Tops to chase a couple of greenhorns, no matter how powerful…

“You’re saying that Roget is targeting them!?”

“Could be. Knowing him, he’s probably looking for a way to manipulate their power.”

Crow had no trouble seeing that.

Suddenly, Crow’s phone rang. He looked at the caller ID. It was Shinji.

Jack did not react.

Crow picked it up. “Hey, Shinji. What’s up.”

_“We’re coming by your place for lunch, alright? We have some deliveries to make today and your house is closer.”_

“Yeah, no prob. The kids will be happy too.”

_“Thanks man. See you later.”_

“See ya.” And with that he ended the call.

He turned to Jack. “Get out of here. These guys know nothing.”

“Very well. But keep this in mind Crow; we’ll both be dragged into this game again sooner or later!”

And with that, the King of the City mounted his majestic D-Wheel and rode out of sight. Crow was left staring at the direction he left from long after he was gone.

He hated to admit it, but Jack was right. There had been something strange boiling in the City for a long time now. It was a whole bunch of subtle hints all over the place, and everything connected back to Roget.

And those kids were powerful. _Extremely_ powerful. Even as he was watching their fights from TV, he could _feel_ their presence like they were each other’s Yin and Yang…

The mere thought made his arm itch.

Crow reached to his pocket for a card he had not used in a long time.

Black Feathered Storm Dragon looked back.

“Well old pal, looks like the Black Thunder will have to make his comeback sooner or later.”

Faintly, he could hear the Dragon’s roar echo through his mind.

* * *

There was a lightning, a lot of yelling, a bright pink flash, and what sounded like a dragon.

Or at least those were the only parts that Selena could say for sure.

She had been trying to escape Academia for a long time. Or escape the guards. She wanted to prove her worth to the Professor no matter what. She was a strong duelist, stronger than most the people in here, she was dedicated, she could take a lot of punishment and she had absolute faith in the ways of Academia.

So why wouldn’t he let her fight!?

In her mind, Selena was certain that she only had one option. She had to prove her worth to the professor, and to achieve that, she had to leave Academia.

There were not many ways to achieve that. One could take a boat or a supply ship. She heard that many traitors used this method, and she was half of mind to go and capture them all. Then she remembered how likely she was to run into the juvenile officers. That would have both its advantages and disadvantages.

Then the perfect opportunity for an escape arose in the form she expected the least.

Three years ago, a strange boy who claimed to be the Professor’s son helped her escape from the guards, before getting caught himself, and being sent back to Standard. Selena wondered how he got on the island for a long time after that. The only way he could have done that was through the teleporters at the facilities basement, and getting there was near impossible.

Until today.

It was late at night, and for whatever reason, today the doors themselves were unguarded.

Selena had no idea why – there was a nasty episode of the flu going around the last few days so maybe that was related, but Serena was not about to ignore such a golden opportunity.

She sneaked around what few guards were on the hallways, avoided a few cameras – all these years she learned where most of them were – took advantage of the many shadows along her path and _finally_ reached the door.

It was surreal.

The room was dark with only the bulky machinery providing light, and the air was stale. Selena could make out a light coating of dust over everything; this room had not been used in a while. Why would it? There was much beter dimension travel tech nowadays.

Almost as if in a trance, Selena stepped towards the glass chamber of the teleporter.

She could get out. _She could get OUT._

The moment she touched the machine it was as if something came to life.

A strong burst of static forced her hand away, and there was a bright flash of… Something.

Lightning exploded from the machine and filled the room. Alarms started blazing but they were covered by the terrible sound. Selena instinctively covered her eyes to protect them from the light, but she could make out figures deep inside the machine and someone was yelling-

“What’s happening in there!?”

It was not her who yelled at, but she did not hear, she only realized that someone was in the room with her when hands landed on her shoulders and pulled her back.

“What in the-” He was a guy her age and she had no idea where she’s seen him before and OH GOD that was _too_ close.

“What are you doing here!? This place is off limits!” Selena was too stunned to speak. “What did you DO!?”

“I only touched the glass!”

Another strike of lightning and the boy reached for his deck-

-and suddenly there was a _roar_ and a _dragon_ was standing there and another roar _echoed back-_

 _-_ and Selena looked into the eyes of her savior and they were _glowing_ and _something_ was happening with her bracelet because it was glowing too and what was EVEN HAPPENING.

_“Climb on Odd-Eyes! Get out of here!”_

_What-_

And the machine vanished in the light and her bracelet responded and turned the room purple and both she and the boy were blasted backwards.

Somehow, she did not faint. She sort of wishes she did. That was _painful_.

However, as she laid down there, she slowly registered that she was in an off-limits area with dangerous equipment that had just exploded, and a complete stranger at her side. A _very_ high-ranking Academia member, going by his purple uniform. Someone who would give her away for sure.

He appeared unconscious. His face was almost peaceful but- she recalled those eyes from earlier and no, she wanted nothing to do with that.

“I have to get out of here…”

A sudden groan from the boy sent her to flight mode. She took off and started running without turning around.

She was about to get to the stairs when another voice, this time an adult, interrupted her. “Hey, what are you doing here!?”

 _Shit!_ Now of all times! Selena did not have time to duel them, she could not let them see her face, she had to get rid of them-

-and then her bracelet caught a single strand of moonlight. And it glowed.

Serena could only gaze in awe as the purple jewel filled the dark corridor with pale light. Selena could see the gazes of the Obelisk Force guards being drawn on the jewel, their bodies going limp, mouths slightly open, a hint of drool on each of them.

The men fell on all fours. And to Selena’s ever growing confusion, they started _crawling_.

The girl was watching in what could only be morbid fascination as the men dragged their bodies on the stairs with their bellies on the ground, reaching for the elusive moonlight, their teeth bared and low growls coming through their throats.

Then one of them slammed his hand too close to her foot and brought her back to her senses.

_I have to run._

She did. She ran like never before, like the devil was at her heels, and maybe he was with that madness that seemed to infect the soldiers behind her.

_They’re acting like lunatics!_

Her steps came to an abrupt halt. Lunacy. The moon…

Slowly, she raised her hand and looked at the purple stone, how it was glowing softly in the moonlight. She could feel it humming through her skin…

_It can’t be._

_…_

_Can it?_

And then…

_I can use this._

She would.


	3. Day 5: Cooking

When he was three years old, he fried an egg for the first time and he did it perfectly. When he was five years old, he knew the names of all the kinds of pasta, all the kinds of rice and could name several kinds of cheese, fruit – no matter how exotic – and spices. When he was seven, he was already a master at chopping vegetables and fish, as well as preparing them in all ways they could be prepared. When he was ten, he could easily clean all select the best parts of all sorts of poultry and other kinds of meat. When he turned eleven, he prepared an entire buffet of all different kinds of sweets and deserts in the book and then some.

At fourteen, Michio Mokota was already recognized as a top-class chef. He had his own restaurant, he had published various cooking books, had been given multiple awards in many cooking competitions and he had his own cooking show on TV. His mother was enormously proud of him, his fans were countless, and Michio was more than just proud of himself because he had _earned_ it.

It was difficult, we would not deny this. No matter how talented he was, becoming a master at cooking, a top chef, was a very demanding task. He had to keep researching new recipes, new ingredients, try various techniques to ensure that he could pull them off, experiment with his dishes and compare them to the dishes of chefs much more experienced and famous than him and then _overcome_ them. And he was successful. No matter how scared he was of knives when he was a young child, no matter how much he was risking his own skin when boiling sugar and deep-fried rice, no matter how difficult it was for him to stay on top of everything that was going on in the kitchen, he would achieve his task and earn everyone’s admiration.

Everyone’s.

One day, even his father’s.


	4. Day 14: Hunting

The part that disturbed Kaito the most; somewhere deep inside him, he _enjoyed_ the hunt.

He could see his comrades and friends changing too. Haruto was dying inside little by little. Syun was becoming more ruthless by the day. Sayaka would lose a bit more of the light in her eyes. Allen a bit more frustrated. Ute would enter that… _state_ of Berserk Rage – and yes, it deserved to be capitalized – that nobody knew how to stop, and wake up with no memory of what happened and why everyone had fled and those who stayed back were staring at him terrified.

_-and Kaito could sense something so DARK and TWISTED when he was like this_

But it was not the laughter of the Academia that Kaito hated the most. It was not the cries of the innocent. It was not the mechanical monstrosities that ruined his home. It was not Syun bombing an entire squadron and only checking for survivors so he could card them. It was not Ute’s inhuman rage.

It was Kaito himself. Because he _loved_ the stalking. The cataloguing. The strategizing, to find the perfect moment to appear before his prey and drink in the fear and confusion in their faces.

That never-ceasing feeling, that in another life, it was _Kaito_ who called himself the hunter.

And that for Kaito, the hunting would never stop.


	5. Day 17: Family

“We’re some kind of clone.”

…

“What?”

Yuzu let out a heavy sigh at Rin’s explanation. Selena was certainly a lot more blunt than the rest of them, but when your father asked you “why do you all look just like my daughter” the answer “we’re clones” was most certainly _not_ appropriate.

To be fair, Rin was left completely out of the loop up until the final battle against Zarc, and even now the Lancers along with everyone else who had been involved in the Dimensional War had yet to catch up with each other and record the events. For her part, Yuzu had only gathered that Yuya had gone to the Xyz Dimension while she was captured, but knew nothing of what had transpired in the meantime – and she was the most well-informed of the girls.

As a result, Rin – being from the Synchro Dimension and thus completely uninvolved up to her kidnapping – defaulted to the most simple and sci-fi explanation she could find. One which was completely inaccurate.

Surprisingly, Selena remained silent, most likely thinking about either the Academia or the Akabas. Yuzu was silently glad for that, as that would have meant even more awkward questions. Ruri was not there either; she along with Ute had returned to Heartland as soon as possible to reunite with the Resistance and begin the reconstruction efforts immediately. Yuzu could not fault them either. Heartland would be a nightmare to rebuild, not to mention that the Commons sector also needed a huge renovation. They could not afford to waste a single moment.

Thus, the task of explaining the situation fell on Yuzu. The holder of the flower bracelet braced herself and launched on the most simple and clarifying explanation she could manage. “Akaba Leo…”

“The founder of the Leo Corporation?” asked Shuzo even thought he knew the answer.

“Yes, him. Before the dimensions were divided, he had a daughter named Ray.” Shuzo remained silent at the revelation. _Everyone_ had seen Ray. In the most confusing moment of an already mind-bending duel, Layra had stepped up and announced that he – no, _she_ – was Ray, winning the duel in a single turn. “Ray fought against Zarc when he tried to destroy the world, but that caused the dimensions and themselves to split apart…” She took a deep breath. “You saw us.”

Zarc was Yuya, Ute, Hugo and Joeri.

Ray was Yuzu, Ruri, Rin and Serena.

Her father blinked with a weird confused look on his face that Yuzu was very familiar with. It was the face he had on when he was about to ask something obvious. “Does that mean you’re related to the Akabas?”

…

…

…

Slowly, Yuzu’s expression was overtaken by horror. Rin’s eyebrows climbed to her hairline. Serena shifted all her attention to the conversation.

_Oh God. He’s right._

Shuzo did not notice the change in mood. “That means that this Ruri girl is also related to the Akabas… But isn’t she Kurosaki’s sister? That makes him family too…” Oh dear, Kurosaki was going to have a _fit_ when he realized… “And then there’s the chairwoman…”

“ **NO** ” they all said simultaneously. “We have nothing to do with her”, supplied Serena.

“Oh. But you’re still half-sisters with Akaba Reiji, right? Wait, if Ray was older than him and you are pieces of Ray, then who’s the younger one?”

“Dad, please don’t go there…”

“WAIT! That means… Layra is your little sister! I’M SO HAPPY!”

**“ _DAD!!!”_**

“What? You have a baby sister now! And she needs coddling!”

Yuzu thought that her dad trying to steal Layra from Akaba Himika to coddle her could only end in a disaster. Actually, now that she thought about it, Kurosaki would probably take little Layra under his wing in record time.

Looks like the whole affair would not ruin her family after all.

Of that, she could only be grateful.


End file.
